


Desert Limbo

by tsundo



Series: Wing Lives AU [3]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29799813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsundo/pseuds/tsundo
Summary: Wing gets started on his road to recovery. And he gets to see the person he needs to see most to set him on that path.
Relationships: Drift | Deadlock/Wing
Series: Wing Lives AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188614
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Desert Limbo

_ What happened?! _

_ His sparkpulse is weak, get him on a table NOW. I’m gonna try to stabilise him. _

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

Bright. Bright yellow light is all Wing can see as his optics online. There’s no sound around him. He sits up from his spot as the area around him is similar to the planet’s geographic makeup from New Crystal City. A large red sun sits in the sky as Wing stands up from his position and looks around. There’s no dead bodies scattered around the area like it was that fateful day. In fact he sees nothing. There’s no Crystal City gates waiting to coax him back in, he stands in what looks like oblivion. He looks at his servos for a moment and closes his palms, realising he’s still able to feel things. And he looks up, the large red sun refusing to move as it towers over him. 

Wing shuffles before sitting back down, cross legged and attempts to meditate for the first time in  _ years.  _ If this were the place where he was to die, then he might as well try to make peace with the demons inside. He inhales and exhales. When he exhales he sees pitch black smoke from the interior of his frame begin to take shape in front of him. It’s him. A literal carbon copy sits across from him and he’s confused for a moment. Until the carbon copy moves and stands up, unsheathing its swords. Wing tumbles back and unsheathes his own, legs bent, ready to move at a moment’s notice. When the shadow lunges at Wing, he dodges out of its way and soon the two are in a battle that Wing is all too familiar with. 

The shadow morphs into Braid and beckons him. Wing’s went over the moves of this battle over and over. Trying to find a way that he would have won, that  _ mistake  _ he made that ultimately led to Drift’s death. He goes through the motions as he lunges towards this shadow version of Braid and he struggles but these years of fighting for the Autobots has given him some more experience. The mistake that he made no longer exists as he slices through Braid, not having to use his greatsword. The smoke dissipates for a moment before forming back into Wing. That was only one demon he defeated. And soon he’s in another battle with this shadow Wing. Shadow Wing is  _ relentless _ . It represents all the pain, grief, rage, sorrow and  _ guilt  _ that Wing’s been carrying throughout these years. 

Wing may have been able to defeat Braid but this.This he couldn’t defeat. He was never able to defeat it during his time on the Lost Light, he certainly knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it now. After all his spark gave out earlier from not only falling for fake Drift, just a figment of his imagination meant to  _ kill  _ him, but the fact that his family, the Circle of Light that he abandoned so many years ago were all dead. And he can only imagine the amount of grief and loss they felt when Wing left. That as well as the fact they died potentially seeing a fake Wing, thinking they finally had found him. 

This shadow Wing quickly overpowers Wing, the weight of it is too much, it’s unbearable. He feels weak, so weak as the shadow Wing raises its greatsword and goes to slash through Wing. Wing closes his optics, accepting his fate before there’s the sound of air slicing in front of him and the pitch black smoke dissipates with a poof. When Wing onlines his optics, he sees  _ him _ . 

He’s brighter than the sunlight that spreads across this desolate landscape and he looks different. But Wing knows who that is. He knows that’s Drift. His optics are no longer that bright blue that Wing was used to but instead a bright golden, similar to Wings. His face is painted with the red markings similar to Wing’s that he took on when he had heard of Dai Atlas’ passing. There’s more red paint than Wing is used to seeing on Drift and his frame has changed entirely. He grows confused when Drift is holding his own greatsword. 

And Wing thinks he’s intangible, that this Drift is fake like the other one. But when Drift reaches a servo out for Wing to take, he grabs it and Drift pulls him up from Wing’s sorry state. 

“Mech, are you a sight for sore optics,” Drift says, a twinkle in his optics. Wing replies with a plea.

“Please tell me you’re not-”

“I’m not a fake,” Drift answers. He then scoffs. “Can you imagine me saying something like ‘let’s ascend together‘?” Wing’s silent for a moment but then something in him ignites. And for the first time in so long, Wing’s face breaks out in a wide smile, with each breath it grows wider and wider until he’s laughing. He laughs, he laughs as tears stream down his face and he immediately hugs Drift. The hug he gives Drift is almost crushing and Drift wheezes as he pats one of Wing’s pauldrons. Drift hugs Wing back with a chuckle. The two hold each other for a moment as Drift lets Wing do what he needs to do. Wing almost melts when Drift nuzzles his helm into Wing’s neck.

“I missed you,” Wing breathes. “I missed you so much,” he says weakly as his voice cracks with emotion.

“I know, I know,” Drift replies, his voice soft and gentle. When Wing pulls away, he looks at Drift’s optics, still unable to believe it.

“I love you” are the next words Wing utters. And Drift’s astonished this time. He then clears his resets his vocaliser.

“Listen, Wing,” Drift starts, his finials pointing back. “I didn’t come here to welcome you to the afterlife. If I’m being honest, I’m saving your life again,” he says.

“I don’t think I want to go back,” Wing replies. 

“You’re as stubborn as ever, I guess,” Drift says in slight irritation. He sighs. “Wing. I died so you could live,” Drift says this time. “Don’t waste that, you’ll be with us when the time comes.”

“Us?” Wing then asks. 

“The Circle of Light,” Drift then says. “...Dai Atlas and I have been talking. Axe and Redline as well. They all searched for you when you left.” Wing feels that guilt creeping back in again. 

“And they’re all dead because of me, aren’t they,” Wing then says. 

“Well,“ Drift says, taking Wing’s servos into his. “It’s a lower death count than the one I have,” he says, looking into his optics. 

“I. I saw the amount back on the Necroworld,” Wing says. “To be fair… Megatron and Optimus had a much higher count.”

“Yeah, that tracks,” Drift scoffs, the amused smile he gives shows his fangs and Wing smiles. “But I said what I said,” Drift says this time. “It’s not your time to go. Especially when you can’t defeat the one thing that is blocking your happiness.”

“I don’t know if I ever will,” Wing says. 

“Where’s that annoying optimism, Wing?” Drift asks. 

“It died with you,” Wing replies. Drift falls silent this time and leans his forehead against Wing’s.

“I want you to live and be happy, Wing,” Drift says after a few quiet moments. “But that happiness won’t have  _ me _ in it. You have people down there who care about you, who will love you for who  _ you _ are. I know I found your optimism and faith and everything annoying, but I fell in love with that. I found my utopia, Wing. And that utopia had you in it. What would the universe be without someone who is as brilliant as the sun? Who instantly lights up any room when entering it? ”

“This doesn’t sound like you, Drift,” Wing says, stepping back for a moment, slipping out of his grasp. He’s fearful that this is fake again. That his mind is playing tricks on him again.

“I’ve changed a lot during my time with the Circle of Light. Well, and being dead,” Drift says. “But I made that choice, I don’t regret it. After all, you’re still alive.” Drift then smiles at Wing this time. Drift looks over to the red giant that hangs in the sky and sees it beginning to set. “It seems like we’re running out of time,” Drift says.

“Will I see you again?” Wing asks. Drift sits down and in a gust of sand, there’s a rock that he sits down against. Wing sits down beside him and Drift leans his helm on Wing’s shoulder and holds his servos in his. 

“I don’t know,” Drift replies. “But. For now, let’s just watch the sun set.” So the two do. The red giant lowers further and further until the last shine of light glimmers across the landscape. “I love you, too.” 

That’s the last thing Wing hears Drift say before he wakes up in the Lost Light’s medbay. He sees that he’s hooked up to some life support lines. He looks to the side, his optics focusing to see Ratchet looking right at him. Wing braces himself for what Ratchet has to say and says only one word.

“Hey.”


End file.
